Current State and Federal regulations requires that first flush rainwater, which is normally polluted, is to be treated prior to discharging it into the storm drain or infiltrating it into the ground depending on the infiltration capacity of the soil and/or the depth of the existing water table. The rest of the rainwater after the first flush may be discharged into a storage tank or directly into the receiving bodies of water such as the river or ocean. The first flush is transferred to a reservoir that is either above or below ground. Such a reservoir is designed to receive the first flush that has been pre-treated, meaning removed of solids and floatables. Pre-treatment minimizes the accumulation of such objects in the reservoir thereby minimizing the difficult and costly maintenance, especially for underground reservoirs.
In most cases, the approving authorities allow the rest of the rainwater after the first flush to continue to drain into the first flush container exceeding its designed capacity and then made to overflow into the storm drain. This defeats the purpose of separating the first flush from the rest of the clean rainwater.
Some inventions use electronics to control the volume of first flush received by the reservoir. But when there is power outage or electronic failure these systems can fail. In many areas where such a system would be beneficial, including lesser developed countries, power outages can occur from storm conditions with heavy rainfall or more aggressive environmental events such as typhoons. In addition, the complexity of some of these systems can make them difficult or impossible to repair if damaged.
Energy conservation and environmental preservation are present day concerns and therefore the use of electrical power or electronic parts should be minimized or not used at all due to the burning of fossil fuel related to power generation including the manufacture of electronic components and solar panels.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for a water management system that utilizes a simple mechanical mechanism for diverting first flush rainwater to a holding reservoir or cistern for treatment while allowing the remaining rainwater to be shuttled to a water storage tank for later use or directly to receiving bodies of water.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.